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Tuesday, December 27, 2011

I hope you had an amazing Christmas, are still enjoying Hanukkah, and are gearing up for celebrations to welcome 2012! This particular week of the year is especially compelling because of a little something else: Post. Holiday. Sales.

If you managed to refrain from the craze of showing up at Macy's or Target at 6:00 a.m., you've had time to digest your Christmas feast and are now ready to hit the ground (or the Web) running (surfing) in your search for the most promising deals. In honor of the amazing CCCOE team, here is a compilation of best places to start for your post-holiday savings! Happy shopping!

Saturday, December 17, 2011

When I think of iconic symbols for winter, snow is probably one of the most automatic things that come to mind. This season, snow-inspired, winter whites are popping up on celebrities in both fancy and cozy-comfy ways:

Thursday, December 15, 2011

"The best and most beautiful things in the world cannot be seen or even touched. They must be FELT with the heart."

Okay so I *may* have borrowed the above quote from Helen Keller. It just seemed so fitting for one of the sweetest, most versatile fabric trends for the holiday season: FELT. Some fuzzy, felted goodness is just what Santa ordered for the winter season.

I started browsing CCCOE artisans for their felted creations and was blown away by the talent we've got right here on our own team for all things FELT! Below is just a small selection of the felt awesomeness I found among our members. Enjoy and get that last minute shopping done now ... with FELT!

I guess it's obvious from some of my selections that I have an appreciation of button details, too. :)

There were way too many amazing felt goodies for me to cram all the relevant listings into a single blog post; hope you'll check out the links to CCCOE member shops below for all the felted excitement you can stand!

PSST :: unrelated note: if you're NOT finished with holiday shopping <gasp>, you can still shop AND get free shipping from e-tailers via the FREE SHIPPING WEBSITE with guaranteed delivery by Christmas Eve! You're welcome. :)

Thursday, December 8, 2011

Yep, you read right. December 8th's little known holiday is National Brownie Day. And with that in mind, I thought I'd share my favorite brownie recipe along with some fun brownie-themed CCCOE goodies because, as you know, there aren't really a lot of sweets lying around the kitchen in December...
Fudgy Brownies from Epicurious.com

Position a rack in the lower third of the oven and preheat the oven to 325°F. Line the bottom and sides of an 8-inch square baking pan with parchment paper or foil, leaving an overhang on two opposite sides.

Combine the butter, sugar, cocoa, and salt in a medium heatproof bowl and set the bowl in a wide skillet of barely simmering water. Stir from time to time until the butter is melted and the mixture is smooth and hot enough that you want to remove your finger fairly quickly after dipping it in to test. Remove the bowl from the skillet and set aside briefly until the mixture is only warm, not hot.

Stir in the vanilla with a wooden spoon. Add the eggs one at a time, stirring vigorously after each one. When the batter looks thick, shiny, and well blended, add the flour and stir until you cannot see it any longer, then beat vigorously for 40 strokes with the wooden spoon or a rubber spatula. Stir in the nuts, if using. Spread evenly in the lined pan.

Bake until a toothpick plunged into the center emerges slightly moist with batter, 20 to 25 minutes. Let cool completely on a rack.

Lift up the ends of the parchment or foil liner, and transfer the brownies to a cutting board. Cut into 16 or 25 squares.